Seeing the Danger

One of the most infamous mistakes in the history of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was a timeout that should not have been called.

Down only two points with 11 seconds left in the 1993 national championship game, Chris Webber of Michigan called a timeout. The problem was that Michigan had no timeouts to use. Michigan was charged with a technical foul, which gave North Carolina two free throws and possession of the ball. North Carolina won 77-71.

We make mistakes. In sports, we may have something drilled into us in practice, yet we still forget in the heat of the battle. In our walks with the Lord, we drop the ball, too. We allow a temptation to play out or forget an important truth we learned. But we can limit our mistakes and keep a healthy relationship with God and others. Proverbs 22:3 says, “A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the inexperienced keep going and are punished.”

As Christians, we must always keep our eyes open to things that will trip us up in our walk with the Lord. Whether it is an invitation to do something or go somewhere, the best thing is to pray and think through the action. Ask yourself, “What could happen if I did this?” “Is there a better option?” And always be in prayer when making choices.

We will never be perfect. But if we look ahead and “see the danger,” we can sidestep the mistakes that may cost us.